Apparatus for treating distillation-gases.



L. WOLF. APPARATUS FOB. TREATING DISTILLATION GASES.

APPLIUATION-IILED DO.10.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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WiT-ndff 4 l L. WOLF.

APPARATUSTOR TREATING DISTILLATION GASES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.1o,1906.

909,125. Patented Jan.5,1909.

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i is one which is adapted to take distillation- LINUS WOLF, or DBENDOEF, SWITZERLAND.

APP-ARATS FOR TREATING- DISTILLATION-GASES.

Specication of Letters lPatent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application led December 10, 1906. Serial No. 347,013.

Tall whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, LINUs WOLF, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Dbendorf, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, have invented Apparatus for Treating Distillation- Gases, of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied gas from distillation gases.

Distillation gases produced by the dry distillation of crude oil, petroleum and similar raw material, contain a variety of hydrocarbons of the methane, ethylene, Aacetylene and other series which may be roughly divided into four classes as follows:

Class 1 contains those substances which are in solid or liquid form at ordinary teniperatures and the boiling point of which '1s well above ordinary temperature. Examples of thisclass are kerosene, lubricatingV oils,vaseline, tar, etc. l A

Class 2 contains those substances which boil at or near ordinary temperature, including those which may be readily liquefied by cooling or by pressure. Exam les of this-class are gasolene, benzin, napht a, etc.

Class 3 contains those substances which are gaseous at ordinary temperature and pressures but which can be li ueed either y a very high refrigeration or y a vigorous refrigeration combined'with the application of considerable pressure. Examples of this class'are acetylene, propane, entane, etc.

Class 4 contains those su stances which can be liquefied only by extremely high ressure in connection with excessively hig refrigeration. Examples ofthis class are hydrogen, methane, etc., gases which because of the difficulty with which they canbe liquefied are commonly referred to as permanent gases.

The above-described classification .is a eneral one only and many of the various ydrocarbons contained in distillation gases' are so similar to each otherthat there is. no sha line between the different classes.'

T e apparatus herein shown and described gases and eliminate therefrom those constituents belonging generally-to Classes 1 and 2, and then to li uey those constituents belonging enera ly to Class 3. The liquid thus pro uced is a liquefied gas which can be bottled or packaged in hquid form. A

'l liquefied gas thus 4made can be readily conv verted into avapor and used for illuminating' and heating purposes.

The apparatus herein shown and described contains many features which areycommon to hitherto known apparatus for producing a suitable gas from distillation gases.

The novel feature of the apparatus relates principally to the construction of the cooling device by which the distillation gases are cooled for the purpose of eliminating the constituents belonging generally to Class 2 as above defined, and for the further purpose of permitting a roper liquefaction of the constituents be onging generally to Class 3.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a cooling apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a diagram of the com lete gas-generating and liquefying plant.

'I' e distillation gases are produced' 1n the first instance by means of a distilling apparatus which may have any suitable or usual construction and which is herein shown as comprising a retort 1 in which crude oil, waste or by-products, bitumen or other raw material, is distilled or gasiiied by the heat of the furnace below the retort. The crude oil or other raw material'is pumped by means of a hand pump 12 and pipe 13 from a barrel or other source of supply 11 to a reservoir 14 from which it flows throu h the pipe 15 into the retort 1. conveniently controlled automatically by means of a thermostat of suitable cons-truction which is herein shown as including a ipe 16 which extends into the-retort and in wliich is a platinum wire connected tothe conducting Wires 17 which lead to a thermopile 2. The retort 1 has connected thereto a pipe 18 which leads to a tank or vessel 3 provided with a drip cock 19. This vessel 3 is such as is commonly used for removing from the gas the heavy, products, such as tar, which belong generally to Class 1 as above defined. The tank 3 has connected thereto a pipe 20 which leads to the cooling apparatus 5 in which the as is vigorously refiigerated. This gas coolfler forms one of the novel features of the invention. As herein shown it com rises a central chamber 21 which is preferabl)y in the form'of a corrugated pi e or conduit with the lowerportion of whic the pipe 20 communicates.- The lower end of The heat o' the retort can be loo the chamber 2.1 extends into a vessel 38, and the pperend of said chamber or pipe 21 is connected bya pipe 26 to a gas purifier 4. The corrugated pipe or chamber 21 1s inclosed within a casing 22 which is surrounded by an outer casing 23 which may be made of boards and which provides between it and the inner casing 22 a s ace that is filled with some suitab'lemsulatlng material such as turf. The

space between the inner casing 22 and the corrugated pipe 21 is adapted to receive an i expanding gas, as will be presently described,

'1, for the purpose of securing the vigorous refrigeration of the distillation gases as they pass up through the chamber 21.

The purifier 4 is of any suitable or known construction and comprises the inner reservoir 35 which is wider at the top than at-the bottom and within which is placed the plurality of plates or gratings 36 each formed in one iece and provided with handles 37 b whic it may be readily removed. AThe purlfying of the gas is accomplished by green yvitriol laced on the gratings in a well-known Way. he gas purifier is connected by a pipe 27 to a compressor 6, said ipe 27 having connected thereto a pipe 33 W 'ch leads to a gasometer 8. The compressor also has con- -nected thereto a pipe 32 which leads into a as-separating apparatus 7 which is in the petro eum from the tan 28 into the reservoir` 30 and into the serpentine pipes 7. The lower end of the pipes 7 connect by a pi e 31 to the cylinder or tank 10 to be iilled wit the liquefied gas. A Weighing device 9 is shown for weighing the amount of liquid filled into t the tank or cylinder 10.

The vigorous refrigeration of the ldistillation gases as they pass through the chamber 21 is secured by connecting the interior ofthe inner casing 22 with the coils 7 by a pipe 24 which has a reducing valve 25 therein and by` also connecting the interior of said casing 22 to the pipe 33. The lower end of the casing 22 is connected by a pipe 80 with the tank 28.

g The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The distillation gases produced in the retort 1 are carried over into the `tank 3 through the pipe 18, and as the pipe 18 is provided with radiating ribs, these distillation gases become cooled suiiciently in said pipe and in the tank 3 so that the heavy products, such as tar, which belong generally to Class 1 as above defined, are condensed in the tank A3, from which they may be drawn off through the valve 19. The distillation gas then passes 'through the pip'e 20 into the chamber 21 where it 1s vigorously refrigerated, such refrigeration being suflicient to condense in I the pipe 21 substantially all those constitu- 70 ents belon ing generally to Class 2 as above defined. rI-hese liquefied constituents accu'- mulate in the tank- 38 from which they may be withdrawn. The gas'after'having been freed from the constituents comprising generally Classes 1 and 2 as above defined, and while at a low temperature, passes to the gas urier and from there to the compressor.

he compressor is arranged to compress the gas to a very high pressure say to, for instance, atmospheres, and such high pressure in connection with the' low Vtemperature produced in the gas cooling apparatus serves to liquefy those constituents which belong generally to Class 3 as above denedsuch 85 liquid constituents being forced into the coils 7 which have been previously substantially filled with gasolene by means of the pump 29. When the liquefied gas thus produced is placed under -a heavy pressure'(say 100 atmos- 90 pheres) at a low temperature, it has a greater speciflc gravity than the gasolene in the coil 7 and, therefore, such liqueed gas will remain at the bottom of the coils while the gasolene floats on tlp. Any unliquefied constituents 95 of the dist' ation gases pass up through the petroleum or oil in thecoils 7 and a certain percentage of the oil unites with' thevgas and mixes With the liquefied constituents in the bottom of the coils. These liquefied constituents are delivered to the cyinder 10 through the pi e 31.

Since the o and unli ueed gas in the coils 7 is under a very hig pressure (100 atmosphere's) and is already at quite .a low temperature, the oil and gas whlch escapes through the pipe 24 vaporizes and expands after 1t passesv the reducing valve25, and 'during such expansion a vigorous refrigerating effect is poduced within the casing 22. Any liquid w `ch accumulates in the casing 22 may pass back to the tank 28, and the gas within said casing is delivered to the gasometer or may be passed throughthe compressor again. I regard this manner of securing the vigorous refrigeration in the cooling apparatus as of great importance. In orderI to secure the end I have in mind, that is, the elimination of the constituents belonging generally to Class 2, it is necessary to vigorously cool the gas, and by using the cooling eiect of the expanding gas formed from the gasolene or petroleum in the pipe 7, the desired cooling effect can readily and inexpensively be secured. u

No claim is herein made for the process of manufacturing liqueiied gas, as claims for the process have been made the subject matter of another a` plication led by me.

Having escxibed my invention, whatv I 130 claim as new and Ydesire to secure by Letters Patent s:-

1. In apparatus v for treatin distillation gases, the combination with a c amber containing petroleum or gasolene, of a gas-cooling ap aratus provided with means to effect a re rigeration of the gas by the expansion and vaporization of the contents ofl said chamber, and a compressor to'take the cooled gas from the cooling apparatus and force it under high pressure into said chamber. ,A

2. In apparatus for treating `distillation gases, thecombination with a chamber containing petroleum or gasolene, of a gascooling apparatus comprising a conduit through W 'ch the gas passes, an insulatin casing surrounding Vsaid conduit, means to a mit the contents of the chamber under reduced pressure to the casing, and means to force the gooled gas under high pressure into the chamer. l

3'. In apparatus for treating distillation gases, the combination With a chamber containing petroleum-or gasolene, of a gas-cooling apparatus comprising algas conduit, an insulated'casing surrounding the conduit, a ipe connecting the conduit with said chamer, a reducing valve in said pipe, and a compressor to take the cooled gas from the gascooling apparatus and force it under pressure into trie cnamber. s ,4. In apparatus for treating distillation gases, the combination with means to cool` such gasessufficiently to condense the most easily liqueable constituents,means toseparate such constituents from the remainin gases, a chamber containing asolene, an means toforce the unliqueiiefI into the gasolene under heavy pressure. v

5. In apparatus for treating distillation gases, the combination with means to generate distillation gases, and means toremove tar and similar hea means to liquey an remove from the distillation gas those constituents thereof which products therefrom, of

constituents v have the same general characteristics "as gasolene, a chamber containing gasolene, and

tween said conduit and said casing under a reduced pressure a portion of the constituents of the distillation gas which is under heavy pressure whereby the gases passing through the chamber are cooled.

In witness whereof I have signed this speciiication in the presence of two witnesses.

LINUS WOLF.

A Witnesses:

I-I.. HUBER,

A. LIEBERKNECHT. 

